Issue N43, 2012
October 24, 2012
Online Mahjong Championship Announced
Fans of the popular online Mahjong game will be pleased to know that online casino software provider, Mahjong Logic, has rolled out its very first Worlds Championships of Online Mahjong, which is scheduled to be held from November 6th to December 9th. Players of this game will be able to display their skills during the tournament, and make their way to the top to claim big prizes.
The World Championships of Online Mahjong will use the Hong Kong and Riichi sets of rules, and will be held in the form of a shooutout format, with the top two players progressing to the next round. The final round of the tournament will comprise of the top four standing players of the competition, and the winner will be announced. There will be essentially two main events, each one following one set of rules.
“Mahjong Logic is very proud to offer WCOOM to our players,” said Jonas Alm, the chief executive officer of Mahjong Logic. “The online world of mahjong has been asking for an event like this for quite a long time. Our software has been fine tuned to provide the very best online experience for the participants and all our licensees will be offering this tournament to their players”.
New Live Dealer Platform for Ladbrokes
UK gambling giant, Ladbrokes, has launched a new live dealer brand through the cooperation with Evolution Gaming, live gaming specialists. Ladbrokes Live Casino will be available through the umbrella Ladbrokes.com website and will initially feature 3 live blackjack tables, one of which will run 24/7.
“The dedicated area that the Evolution team has created for us at their studios is a really strong and effective way to present our new brand identity online,” noted Richard Poole, head of casino and games at Ladbrokes eGaming. “Consistent branding across our retail estate and online services is key for us. We want to offer a complete brand experience for customers and create maximum loyalty across all channels. Fully branded dedicated environments online are central to that strategy.”
Speaking for Evolution Gaming, Sebastian Johannisson said that Ladbrokes is a name synonymous with betting and gaming, and Evolution was delighted that Ladbrokes is extending its online presence with a fully branded Live Casino that will be instantly recognizable to its customers.
“We are confident that dedicated tables and environments add real value for our licensees,” said the Evolution executive. “That’s why we’ve seen such a phenomenal take-up of these branded areas by Evolution licensees in 2012, which has far outstripped the number of dedicated tables and environments we introduced in 2011.”
Gambling Groups Get Involved in US Elections
The US presidential elections are just around the corner, and with election fever hitting the country, gambling groups are certainly not staying out of the fun – especially when they have so much at stake. The Las Vegas Sun reported that the US gambling industry donated a whopping $50 million to political causes during the election campaign – more than double what it spent in the 2008 elections. Unfortunately, the bulk of the donations came from the anti-online gambling camp, with Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands, donating $34 million to the Republicans.
It is clear that online gambling stands a better chance of being legalized and regulated in the United States under an Obama government, despite the fact that nothing earth-shattering happened for the industry on a federal level in his four year rule. However, optimists point out that with individual states pushing to introduce intrastate online poker and gambling, the US is poised to make huge changes to its gambling infrastructure, and we could very well see these changes if Obama is re-elected.
Two Day Slots Session Bags in $260K
Grande Vegas online casino was the scene of an exceptionally rewarding online slots session last week, after a Frenchman managed to hit jackpot after jackpot on the popular Triple Twister video slot game, and win $260,000 in the process. Gilles R. landed random minor and major jackpots – worth between $1,000 and $5,000 - multiple times during his winning spree, which added thousands to his total. However, it was through the amazing bonus features of Triple Twister that the player really added meat to the bones. The bonus round of the 50 pay line video slot game triggers up to nine free games, while the Win Win feature makes sure that payouts during bonus rounds are never disappointing.
“I won a lot of this cash in bonus rounds on free spins,” said the ecstatic player.
“I just kept getting Weather Vane symbols that kept triggering more and more free games. It was incredible. For ages I’ve had a photo of Machu Pichu stuck to my computer as inspiration. I’m going to use some of my winnings to take my wife there.”